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Sword of India #1
Sword of Fortune
India, 1778.
Richard Bryant arrives in India as a humble clerk with the John Company.
But he is driven by an ambition and military enthusiasm that sees him rise beyond his status.
He has barely been in Bombay a year when a disastrous love affair with Barbara Smythe forces him to flee the city.
He enters the Indian jungle.
It is the start of a new life as an outlaw, relying on his wits and his pistols to survive.
In the escapades and dangers which lie ahead, Richard becomes an adventurer on a grand scale.
He commands French regiments at the court of the feared Begum Sombre, making enemies of every nationality and, in time, carving his own kingdom out of the jungle.
Feared by princes, marauders and fellow mercenaries alike, Richard finds a place for himself in the world.
But there are terrible scores to be settled, even at the risk of throwing all of his glory away...
Richard Bryant arrives in India as a humble clerk with the John Company.
But he is driven by an ambition and military enthusiasm that sees him rise beyond his status.
He has barely been in Bombay a year when a disastrous love affair with Barbara Smythe forces him to flee the city.
He enters the Indian jungle.
It is the start of a new life as an outlaw, relying on his wits and his pistols to survive.
In the escapades and dangers which lie ahead, Richard becomes an adventurer on a grand scale.
He commands French regiments at the court of the feared Begum Sombre, making enemies of every nationality and, in time, carving his own kingdom out of the jungle.
Feared by princes, marauders and fellow mercenaries alike, Richard finds a place for himself in the world.
But there are terrible scores to be settled, even at the risk of throwing all of his glory away...
421 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 13, 1990
About the author
Christopher Nicole
229 books60 followersChristopher Robin Nicole was born on 7 December 1930 in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana), where he was raised. He is the son of Jean Dorothy (Logan) and Jack Nicole, a police officer, both Scottish. He studied at Queen's College in Guyana and at Harrison College in Barbados. He was a fellow at the Canadian Bankers Association and a clerk for the Royal Bank of Canada in Georgetown and Nassau from 1947 to 1956. In 1957, he moved to Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom, where he currently lives, but he also has a domicile in Spain.
On 31 March 1951, he married his first wife, Jean Regina Amelia Barnett, with whom he had two sons, Bruce and Jack, and two daughters, Julie and Ursula, they divorced. On 8 May 1982 he married for the second time with fellow writer Diana Bachmann.
As a romantic and passionate of history, Nicole has been published since 1957, when he published a book about West Indian Cricket. He published his first novel in 1959 with his first stories set in his native Caribbean. Later he wrote many historical novels set mostly in tumultuous periods like World War I, World War II and the Cold War, and depict places in Europe, Asia and Africa. He also wrote classic romance novels. He specialized in Series and Sagas, and continues to write into the 21st century with no intention of retiring.
He signs his books as Christopher Nicole and uses several pseudonyms, some of them female. Pseudonyms used include: Peter Grange, Andrew York, Robin Cade, Mark Logan, Christina Nicholson, Alison York, Leslie Arlen, Robin Nicholson, C. R. Nicholson, Daniel Adams, Simon McKay, Caroline Gray and Alan Savage. He wrote disaster thrillers in collaboration with his wife, Diana Bachmann, under the penname Max Marlow. Under his different pseudonyms he has worked with many publishing houses: Jarrolds, Hutchinson, Simon & Schuster, Coward-McCann & Geoghegan, Jove, Michael Joseph, Mills & Boon, and Severn House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christop... and
http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1009...
On 31 March 1951, he married his first wife, Jean Regina Amelia Barnett, with whom he had two sons, Bruce and Jack, and two daughters, Julie and Ursula, they divorced. On 8 May 1982 he married for the second time with fellow writer Diana Bachmann.
As a romantic and passionate of history, Nicole has been published since 1957, when he published a book about West Indian Cricket. He published his first novel in 1959 with his first stories set in his native Caribbean. Later he wrote many historical novels set mostly in tumultuous periods like World War I, World War II and the Cold War, and depict places in Europe, Asia and Africa. He also wrote classic romance novels. He specialized in Series and Sagas, and continues to write into the 21st century with no intention of retiring.
He signs his books as Christopher Nicole and uses several pseudonyms, some of them female. Pseudonyms used include: Peter Grange, Andrew York, Robin Cade, Mark Logan, Christina Nicholson, Alison York, Leslie Arlen, Robin Nicholson, C. R. Nicholson, Daniel Adams, Simon McKay, Caroline Gray and Alan Savage. He wrote disaster thrillers in collaboration with his wife, Diana Bachmann, under the penname Max Marlow. Under his different pseudonyms he has worked with many publishing houses: Jarrolds, Hutchinson, Simon & Schuster, Coward-McCann & Geoghegan, Jove, Michael Joseph, Mills & Boon, and Severn House.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christop... and
http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL1009...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 24, 2021
a rip roaring, R-rated pot boiler
I was tempted to call this novel Richard Sharpe lite but I checked publication dates - 1990 for this one. 1997 for the first of Sharpe's India adventures. So the best I can do is point out that there are similarities as well as vast differences. For one thing this R rated pot boiler is not as well written and is quite predictable in many places. There are also several unbelievable things such as people who have never used bows because of a lack of suitable wood suddenly being given bows, trained for a few months and becoming deadly accurate and efficient with them. It doesn't work that way in reality. It is very difficult and time consuming to train novice warriors to use bows effectively. Then there is the "simple" job of casting cannon from a bunch of miscellaneous brass cooking pots. Right. Don't worry about the varying quality of the pots and subsequent flaws in the metal of the cannon. There is more and unlike the Queen of Hearts, I don't make a practice of believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
Pubescent boys may like the R-rated aspects. The adventure aspects may attract all boys including those who never grew up and aren't very demanding of their literature.
I was tempted to call this novel Richard Sharpe lite but I checked publication dates - 1990 for this one. 1997 for the first of Sharpe's India adventures. So the best I can do is point out that there are similarities as well as vast differences. For one thing this R rated pot boiler is not as well written and is quite predictable in many places. There are also several unbelievable things such as people who have never used bows because of a lack of suitable wood suddenly being given bows, trained for a few months and becoming deadly accurate and efficient with them. It doesn't work that way in reality. It is very difficult and time consuming to train novice warriors to use bows effectively. Then there is the "simple" job of casting cannon from a bunch of miscellaneous brass cooking pots. Right. Don't worry about the varying quality of the pots and subsequent flaws in the metal of the cannon. There is more and unlike the Queen of Hearts, I don't make a practice of believing as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
Pubescent boys may like the R-rated aspects. The adventure aspects may attract all boys including those who never grew up and aren't very demanding of their literature.
May 25, 2016
I enjoy reading good historical fiction and Sword of Fortune by Christopher Nicole is just such a book. It is full of action, adventure, romance and intrigue, which will leave you exhausted when you finish this book.
The author is a great storyteller. As I read the book I could see the sights as he described them; I could smell the smells and hear the sounds. This is what makes a novel come alive. The storyline is fast paced and full of action. The plot twist and turns will keep you glued to the story.
Christopher Nicole has a developed a cast of characters that are so real to life that it was easy to get into them and follow their stories. It was fun to watch to watch them mature and develop as the story progressed.
I really liked Sword of Fortune by Christopher Nicole and highly recommend this book to all readers.
The author is a great storyteller. As I read the book I could see the sights as he described them; I could smell the smells and hear the sounds. This is what makes a novel come alive. The storyline is fast paced and full of action. The plot twist and turns will keep you glued to the story.
Christopher Nicole has a developed a cast of characters that are so real to life that it was easy to get into them and follow their stories. It was fun to watch to watch them mature and develop as the story progressed.
I really liked Sword of Fortune by Christopher Nicole and highly recommend this book to all readers.
January 7, 2020
The purge of India
Another great story by this author and a must read too. From boy soldiers to fully grown ones with a mass of experience. If you want to how it progressed then read this book.
Another great story by this author and a must read too. From boy soldiers to fully grown ones with a mass of experience. If you want to how it progressed then read this book.
July 25, 2020
Boys Own adventure.
Christopher Nicole doing what he does best. A great yarn for boys who never really grow up. Never disappointed in one of his stories yet.
Doing expect great literature but do expect a thoroughly entertaining read. I know which I prefer.
Christopher Nicole doing what he does best. A great yarn for boys who never really grow up. Never disappointed in one of his stories yet.
Doing expect great literature but do expect a thoroughly entertaining read. I know which I prefer.
September 7, 2020
This is a very entertaining book, really a good read all the way through. Holbrooke is a pretty compelling character to follow through the story. This and Sword of India are both good reads
August 5, 2021
Longer than necessary
Anyone who can keep track of all the various places, characters and battles is a far better reader than me. The book was just too long.
Anyone who can keep track of all the various places, characters and battles is a far better reader than me. The book was just too long.
July 1, 2015
An average potboiler fit for a teenager with an inclination towards Indian history. I enjoyed Alan Savage's Mohgul as a schoolboy but as an adult, this book fails to please.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews